Moonchild
Moonchild is one of the avatars of Captain Trips (Mark Meadows). History Biochemist Mark Meadows first experimented with psychoactive drugs in 1970, leading to his first transformation into the Radical. Hoping to rediscover the secret of this change Mark formulated a number of powders and found he could release other aces living inside him. Each of the five ingestible powders released one of five specific alternative personalities, one being a curious black and silver powder that swirls together without mixing. When ingested this powder transforms Meadows into Isis Moon, better known as Moonchild. Moonchild proved to be a superhumanly adept martial artist, specifically in the field of Tae Kwon Do. In one encounter she defeated Durg at' Morakh, a genetically engineered warrior from Takis, in single combat. Abandoned by his alien master, Durg promptly transferred his loyalty to Moonchild. Much to Mark's irritation Durg still calls him "Mistress" even when he is not manifesting the Moonchild persona. Moonchild has fought opponents ranging from alien monsters the size of small houses during the Swarm War to government aces Carnifex and Crypt Kicker, but her most difficult battle has always been with herself and the mystery of her origins. The central question of this battle has always been, who and what is Isis Moon? According to Moonchild's own memories, her father was a North Korean soldier taken captive during the Korean War. Refusing repatriation after the ceasefire, Moon's father eventually grew dissatisfied with life in the South and returned home, but not before marrying and fathering a daughter. Raised by her mother and maternal grandfather, Isis Moon was taught the ancient martial arts of the sulsa, an order of Korean warriors similar to Japan's samurai. Further she was indoctrinated into the skills of the sulsa's Knights of the Night, learning ninja like skills of stealth that eschewed banditry and assassination. In 1969, Isis traveled to America to study at the famous Berkeley University. She arrived in L.A. and remembers nothing more after that. Even Meadows's own research turned up little more. There are three other women who go by the name Isis Moon, all ex-hippies or New Age types, but none are Moonchild nor appear to have any connection to her. Adding to the mystery, it was eventually discovered that Moonchild could not speak or understand the Korean language. Moonchild's identity crisis came to a head during her involvement with the revolution that swept Vietnam during the 1990s. Seeking political asylum from the US government under Vietnam's new policy of supporting wild cards everywhere, Meadows, and Moonchild by extension, joined the New Joker Brigade, a military unit formed to atone for past military atrocities and, strangely, to fight for the socialist principles the old Joker Brigade opposed. Early on it was necessary for Meadows to summon Moonchild in order to heal himself. During the hour of her freedom Moonchild was also forced to subdue the super strong German joker called Horn. This was the beginnings of Moonchild's rise to power in Vietnam. Around this time she also met and began a relationship with the joker-ace Eric Bell. Growing disenchanted with the continuing atrocities and brutal behavior of the New Joker Brigade, Meadows led a mutiny after his squad leader was murdered by a fellow joker. Attracting more and more disaffected joker troops as well as friendly natives, oppressed Montagnards, and AWOL Vietnamese soldiers, Meadows's rogue squad eventually became the nucleus of a revolution with Moonchild as its leader and Meadows as her de facto prime minister. This position put her into conflict with Eric Bell, who was very loyal to the established Vietnamese government and the stated mission of the New Joker Brigade. Captured by the New Joker Brigade, Moonchild was to be tortured and raped, but escaped with Bell's help. Bell was shot in the process and later died during the detonation of a fuel-air bomb. Moonchild was officially recognized as the president of New Vietnam by several world governments and fulfilled her duties in hour-at-a-time increments, largely leaving the day to day affairs to Mark Meadows. Later, while rescuing Meadows's daughter Sprout from a pedophile ace known as Ganesha, Moonchild accidentally took Ganesha's life. Breaking her vow to never take a life, Moonchild retreated into the depths of Mark's mind never to return. The next time Mark ingested the black and silver powder to summon her he went into convulsions and a coma-like state for an hour. Moonchild was never seen again and Meadows's subsequent (and for several years permanent) transformation into the new Radical, an ace with her powers as well as those of Mark's other friends, made the point moot. Wild Card Traits Moonchild has enhanced strength and agility beyond normal human extremes. She is capable of smashing apart a handgun with one kick and stunning creatures as large as a Swarmling with a single blow of her fist. In an unguarded moment of pleasure Moonchild almost crushed the head of a man she was embracing. She is also moderately resistant to crushing damage from the likes of fists and capable of absorbing the impact of high falls with a combination of her strength and extraordinarily high agility. Night is Moonchild's element. She can see better than a cat in the dark, though her senses are not actually superhuman, merely focused to a higher degree through mental discipline, and she is as silent as a shadow herself. When standing in shadows or other areas of darkness Moonchild can become invisible. Moonchild's final ace ability is the power to heal herself and regenerate damaged bodily tissues through exposure to moonlight. Conversely, Moonchild is highly sensitive to UV rays and avoids direct sunlight if at all possible. Appearance Tall and willowy, Moonchild is an attractive Korean woman with a pointed chin and a dainty nose. Her hair is long and black. She wears a skin-tight black bodysuit with a yin-yang symbol on the chest. The right side of her face is covered in a black half-mask that is the mirror-opposite of the chest emblem. Beneath this half-mask Moonchild's face is marred by a port wine stain. Personality Moonchild is a pacifist and vegetarian. Despite her formidable talents in martial arts she avoids hurting people unnecessarily and prefers to subdue aggressors when she can. She has vowed to never take a life and believes that if she breaks this vow she will lose all her superhuman powers. Moonchild's most fervent wish is that somehow she and the rest of Mark's alter-egos be released from their shared existence to act as individuals and each follow their own karma. Selected Reading * - "With a Little Help From His Friends" * - Moonchild leads a revolution Category:Captain Trips avatars Category:POV characters